A Nordic supermarket chain announced a broad boycott against Brazilian produce due environmental and health harms associated with the record release of new highly toxic agrochemicals in the country. Of the 197 agrochemicals released by the Minister of the Environment in 2019, 26% are not allowed by European Union standards. “We need to stop Bolsonaro, he is a maniac,” said Paradiset supermarket’s president to a news wire agency.

During a press conference in São Paulo, the Minister of the Environment openly questioned the efficacy of Fundo Amazônia, the collective fund that concentrates donations from Norway, Germany and Petrobras. The fund is managed by BNDES and has invested over R$ 1.8 billion for projects aiming to reduce deforestation. Minister Salles rejected reports from Fundo Amazônia indicating that it helped to reduce Amazon deforestation by 11% between 2009 and 2017, saying that such relationship of cause and effect has yet to be proven. Fundo Amazônia reports uses deforestation data from INPE’s monitoring of the region. Minister Salles went on to say that a quarter of the contracts of Fundo Amazônia need to be “rigorously analysed” by controlling bodies (BNDES, CGU and TCU) due to “evidence of dysfunctionalities”. Most of Fundo Amazônia projects involve NGOs and other civil society entities. By raising these suspicions, the minister dismissed the findings of a parliamentary inquiry carried in 2018 that found the overall management of the fund to be “satisfactory” and the positive results of 2 yearly independent audits carried on the fund’s activities. Salles also created a stir by suggesting to use  money  from the fund to compensate private landowners located inside conservation units and protected areas.

A few hours after the interview, the Embassy of Norway, the Fundo Amazônia’s biggest donor, published a note declaring to be “satisfied with the  robust governance structure of Fundo Amazônia” and the significant results achieved by entities supported by the fund in the last 10 years. “We have not received any proposal from Brazilian authorities to alter the governance structure or the criteria used by the Fund to allocate resources”.

A Greenpeace report shows that the release of agrochemicals increased by 42% in the first few  months of Bolsonaro’s government. Between January 1st and April 30th, the federal government approved the use of 166 new agrochemicals  in the country. Of the newly released products, 44%  are “highly or extremely toxic” and only 6% are biological; 28% are not allowed in the European Union due to toxicity risks.

The Minister of the Environment files a formal request at the Controller General (legal body that oversees governmental contracts) to have access to all contracts between NGOs and Fundo Amazônia; in January, minister Salles had already suspended contracts and new money transfers related to the Fund for a 90-day period. The move further reinforced the government’s biased approach towards the Fund and NGOs, which they label as “extremists” and claim that they are part of an “environmental infractions industry”.

During a brief speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, President Jair Bolsonaro prompted fresh alarm among environmentalists after stressing that protecting his country’s unique ecosystem has to be consistent with economic growth. “Agriculture makes up no more than 9% of our territory and has grown thanks to technology and the hard work of farmers,” he said. “No other country in the world has as many forests as we do.”

 Without addressing the risks that a go-for-growth strategy would pose to the Amazon region, Bolsonaro used his first overseas trip since taking office to outline a strong pro-business agenda. He also claimed that Brazil is the country that protects the environment the most.